1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to spinning devices for drying wet food, such as salad spinners, and more particularly, to braking systems for stopping the rotation of the spinning.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various devices for drying food, such as salad spinners, are known. These salad spinners usually include a bowl, a cover connected to the bowl, a perforated basket, and a crank-type actuator coupled to the basket for spinning the same. These prior spinners, however, are not always stable when cranked, often moving laterally during the cranking operation, which can cause the spinner to fall off its support to the floor. These falls may cause the spinner to be damaged or food contents thereof to be spilled. To safely use the spinner, a user must often hold down the spinner with one hand and crank with the other hand.
Additionally, the crank mechanisms of these spinners have a knob or other portion permanently disposed on and projecting laterally from the top of the cover. These projecting knobs can be damaged and take up space when not in use, making storage difficult.
Further, these devices had no structure for stopping the basket once the basket is spun. It only is stopped by friction it normally encounters, which may be a slow process, unsuitable for the cook on the go. The most practical other way of stopping the basket spinning is to remove the cover and manually grasp the basket. A user, however, may unintentionally grasp the food in the spinning basket or be sprayed with liquid flying off the food in the basket.